2019–20 Utah State Aggies men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Utah State Aggies men's basketball team represented Utah State University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Aggies, led by second-year head coach Craig Smith, played their home games at the Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 26–8, 12–6 in Mountain West play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They defeated New Mexico, Wyoming and San Diego State to become champions of the Mountain West tournament, their second consecutive Mountain West tournament championship. They earned the Mountain West's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. However, on March 12 it was announced that the NCAA Tournament would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019–20 Utah State Aggies men's basketball
Jamaica Classic champions
MWC tournament champions
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record26–8 (12–6 MW)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Austin Hansen
  • Eric Peterson
  • David Ragland
Home arenaSmith Spectrum
Seasons
2019–20 Mountain West Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 6 San Diego State 17 1   .944 30 2   .938
Utah State 12 6   .667 26 8   .765
Nevada 12 6   .667 19 12   .613
UNLV 12 6   .667 17 15   .531
Boise State 11 7   .611 20 12   .625
Colorado State 11 7   .611 20 12   .625
New Mexico 7 11   .389 19 14   .576
Fresno State 7 11   .389 11 19   .367
Air Force 5 13   .278 12 20   .375
San Jose State 3 15   .167 7 24   .226
Wyoming 2 16   .111 9 24   .273
Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Aggies shared the regular-season Mountain West title with Nevada, and defeated New Mexico, Fresno State, and San Diego State to win the Mountain West tournament to earn the Mountain West's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for their first appearance since 2011. They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Washington.

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Tauriawn Knight 1 G 6'1" 170 Freshman Edmond, OK Transferred
Dwayne Brown Jr. 2 G/F 6'6" 220 Senior Conyers, GA Graduated
John Knight III 3 G 6'2" 195 Sophomore Jackson, MS Transferred to SUU
Crew Ainge 4 F 5'11" 180 RS Sophomore Wellesley, MA Transferred to Babson
Quinn Taylor 10 F 6'8" 240 RS Senior Houston, TX Graduated
Ke'Sean Davis 13 F 6'7" 225 Junior Compton, CA Left team
Ben Fakira 21 F 6'10" 240 Freshman Sydney, Australia Left team

Incoming college transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous college
Carson Bischoff 1 G 6'4" 210 Junior Ogden, Utah Junior college transfer from Treasury Valley CC
Alphonso Anderson 10 F 6'6" 220 Junior Tacoma, Washington Junior college transfer from North Idaho College
Marco Anthony 44 F 6'5" 225 Junior San Antonio, Texas Transfer from Virginia
Kuba Karwowski 52 C 7'2" 220 Junior Warsaw, Poland Junior college transfer from North Platte CC

Recruiting

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Liam McChesney
PF
Prince Rupert, BC Charles Hays 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Nov 12, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
Sean Bairstow
SF
Brisbane, QLD Churchie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Feb 27, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
Cade Potter
PF
Orange, CA Orange Lutheran 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sep 1, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: #65
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 15, 2019.

Preseason

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Mountain West media poll

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The Mountain West Conference media poll was released on October 15, 2019. The Aggies were unanimously selected by MW media members as the preseason favorites.[1]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1 Utah State
2 San Diego State
3 New Mexico
4 Nevada
5 Boise State
6 Fresno State
7 UNLV
8 Air Force
9 Colorado State
10 Wyoming
11 San Jose State

Preseason All-MWC teams

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Sam Merrill and Neemias Queta were selected to the All-MWC Preseason Team. Merrill was additionally selected as the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year.[2]

Roster

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2019–20 Utah State Aggies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Klay Stall 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Jr Basha HS Chandler, AZ
G 1 Carson Bischoff (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Weber HS Ogden, UT
G 2 Sean Bairstow 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Churchie Brisbane, QLD
F 4 Roche Grootfaam 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Sr Covenant Christian Academy
College of Southern Idaho
Paramaribo, Suriname
G 5 Sam Merrill 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Bountiful HS Bountiful, UT
F 10 Alphonso Anderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Garfield HS
North Idaho College
Tacoma, WA
F 13 Liam McChesney 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Charles Hays Prince Rupert, BC
G 15 Abel Porter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Davis HS Farmington, UT
G 22 Brock Miller 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Brighton HS Sandy, UT
C 23 Neemias Queta 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Benfica Barreiro, Portugal
G 24 Diogo Brito 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Mountain Mission School Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
C 32 Trevin Dorius 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Fr Wasatch HS Heber City, UT
F 34 Justin Bean 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Southmoore HS Moore, OK
G 44 Marco Anthony (I)   6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Holmes HS
Virginia
San Antonio, TX
C 52 Kuba Karwowski 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr North Platte CC Warsaw, Poland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2019*
7:00 pm
No. 17 College of Idaho W 103–66 
 19  Brito   11  Anderson   7  Bairstow  Smith Spectrum (6,017)
Logan, UT
Regular season
Nov 5, 2019*
8:00 pm, ATTSNRM
No. 17 Montana State W 81–73  1–0
 28  Merrill   10  Bean   4  Porter  Smith Spectrum (7,331)
Logan, UT
Nov 8, 2019*
7:00 pm, Stadium
No. 17 Weber State W 89–34  2–0
 18  Bean   9  Bean   10  Porter  Smith Spectrum (8,840)
Logan, UT
Nov 12, 2019*
7:00 pm, Stadium
No. 17 Denver W 97–56  3–0
 27  Miller   15  Bean   5  Tied  Smith Spectrum (6,504)
Logan, UT
Nov 15, 2019*
7:00 pm, Stadium
No. 17 North Carolina A&T
Jamaica Classic
W 81–54  4–0
 21  Anderson   10  Bean   5  Merrill  Smith Spectrum (8,864)
Logan, UT
Nov 18, 2019*
7:00 pm, Stadium
No. 15 UTSA W 82–50  5–0
 21  Merrill   11  Tied   5  Bean  Smith Spectrum (8,667)
Logan, UT
Nov 22, 2019*
2:30 pm, CBSSN
No. 15 vs. LSU
Jamaica Classic
W 80–78  6–0
 24  Tied   12  Bean   8  Merrill  Montego Bay Convention Centre (1,452)
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Nov 24, 2019*
4:30 pm, CBSSN
No. 15 vs. North Texas
Jamaica Classic
W 68–59  7–0
 19  Anderson   13  Bean   3  Merrill  Montego Bay Convention Centre 
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Nov 29, 2019*
9:30 pm, ESPNU
No. 15 at Saint Mary's L 73–81  7–1
 24  Bean   9  Bean   7  Porter  McKeon Pavilion (3,500)
Moraga, CA
Dec 4, 2019
9:15 pm, ESPN2
No. 25 at San Jose State W 71–59  8–1
(1–0)
 18  Bean   14  Bean   3  Tied  Provident Credit Union Event Center (2,294)
San Jose, CA
Dec 7, 2019
4:00 pm, ATTSNRM
No. 25 Fresno State W 77–70 OT 9–1
(2–0)
 24  Merrill   13  Bean   5  Brito  Smith Spectrum (9,815)
Logan, UT
Dec 10, 2019*
7:00 pm
Saint Katherine W 94–49  10–1
 22  Miller   14  Bean   5  Bairstow  Smith Spectrum (6,006)
Logan, UT
Dec 14, 2019*
5:00 pm, BYU TV
vs. BYU
Old Oquirrh Bucket/Beehive Classic
L 64–68  10–2
 14  Anderson   10  Bean   4  Porter  Vivint Smart Home Arena (10,291)
Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 18, 2019*
5:45 pm, ESPN3
vs. South Florida
Battleground 2K19
W 76–74 OT 11–2
 21  Merrill   9  Bean   7  Porter  Toyota Center (18,055)
Houston, TX
Dec 21, 2019*
12:30 pm, FS1
vs. Florida
Orange Bowl Classic
W 65–62  12–2
 21  Merrill   9  2 tied   5  2 tied  BB&T Center (8,927)
Sunrise, FL
Dec 28, 2019*
2:00 pm
Eastern Oregon W 129–61  13–2
 25  Miller   12  Bean   11  Brito  Smith Spectrum (8,338)
Logan, UT
Jan 1, 2020
9:00 pm, CBSSN
at UNLV L 53–70  13–3
(2–1)
 17  Bean   11  Bean   3  Porter  Thomas & Mack Center (7,571)
Las Vegas, NV
Jan 4, 2020
8:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 13 San Diego State L 69–77  13–4
(2–2)
 26  Merrill   14  Queta   5  Porter  Smith Spectrum (10,017)
Logan, UT
Jan 7, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPN2
at Air Force L 60–79  13–5
(2–3)
 16  Miller   5  Bean   3  Porter  Clune Arena (4,563)
Colorado Springs, CO
Jan 11, 2020
6:00 pm, CBSSN
Nevada W 80–70  14–5
(3–3)
 19  Queta   8  Merrill   8  Merrill  Smith Spectrum (8,725)
Logan, UT
Jan 18, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU
at Boise State L 83–88 OT 14–6
(3–4)
 30  Merrill   10  Bean   4  Porter  ExtraMile Arena (6,047)
Boise, ID
Jan 21, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPNU
Air Force W 72–47  15–6
(4–4)
 16  Bean   13  Bean   5  Bean  Smith Spectrum (8,442)
Logan, UT
Jan 25, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU
Colorado State W 77–61  16–6
(5–4)
 28  Merrill   9  Bean   5  3 tied  Smith Spectrum (9,791)
Logan, UT
Jan 28, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPNU
at Wyoming W 68–45  17–6
(6–4)
 14  Merrill   12  Queta   4  Brito  Arena-Auditorium (3,115)
Laramie, WY
Feb 1, 2020
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at No. 4 San Diego State L 68–80  17–7
(6–5)
 16  Merrill   6  Queta   12  Merrill  Viejas Arena (12,414)
San Diego, CA
Feb 5, 2020
8:00 pm, CBSSN
UNLV W 69–54  18–7
(7–5)
 21  Queta   11  Bean   5  Queta  Smith Spectrum (8,987)
Logan, UT
Feb 8, 2020
8:00 pm, CBSSN
Boise State W 70–61  19–7
(8–5)
 21  Queta   16  Bean   4  Tied  Smith Spectrum (10,033)
Logan, UT
Feb 11, 2020
7:30 pm, CBSSN
at Colorado State W 75–72  20–7
(9–5)
 32  Merrill   11  Queta   5  Merrill  Moby Arena (4,038)
Fort Collins, CO
Feb 15, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU
at Fresno State W 71–59  21–7
(10–5)
 24  Merrill   11  Bean   4  Merrill  Save Mart Center (5,671)
Fresno, CA
Feb 19, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Wyoming W 78–58  22–7
(11–5)
 26  Merrill   15  Queta   5  Brito  Smith Spectrum (9,452)
Logan, UT
Feb 25, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPN2
San Jose State W 94–56  23–7
(12–5)
 23  Queta   13  Bean   7  Merrill  Smith Spectrum (8,925)
Logan, UT
Feb 29, 2020
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at New Mexico L 64–66  23–8
(12–6)
 18  Queta   14  Queta   7  Brito  Dreamstyle Arena (11,215)
Albuquerque, NM
Mountain West tournament
Mar 5, 2020
7:00 pm, CBSSN
(2) vs. (7) New Mexico
Quarterfinals
W 75–70  24–8
 29  Merrill   15  Bean   2  Tied  Thomas & Mack Center (7,723)
Paradise, NV
Mar 6, 2020
8:30 pm, CBSSN
(2) vs. (11) Wyoming
Semifinals
W 89–82  25–8
 27  Merrill   10  Bean   7  Merrill  Thomas & Mack Center (9,630)
Paradise, NV
Mar 7, 2020
2:30 pm, CBS
(2) vs. (1) No. 5 San Diego State
Championship
W 59–56  26–8
 27  Merrill   12  Bean   4  Bean  Thomas & Mack Center (10,292)
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP1717151525RVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV
Coaches19191615RVRVRVRVRVRVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

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  1. ^ "Utah State picked to win 2020 MWC Men's Basketball Championship". The MW. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "Mountain West Announces 2019-20 Preseason Men's All Conference Team". The MW. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.